The 18-year-old made his senior debut for Brendan Rodgers' team on the final day of the 2012-13 season, but did not feature in the Premier League this term.

By contrast, Sterling - who is exactly one year older than Ibe - has grown into a key member of the squad and was rewarded for his form in the second half of the season with a place in England's World Cup squad.

"Raheem has done extremely well - he's kicked on to another level this season," he told the Liverpool Echo.

"I'm really happy for him and hopefully he can continue playing at that level with Liverpool and with England.

"He's someone I look up to, definitely. He plays in a similar position and he's a similar age. He's someone I watch in training and try to learn from the way he plays.

"I watch Raheem, Daniel Sturridge and the other attacking players in training. I just try to learn from them, improve myself and hopefully, if and when I get my chance in the first team, I will be ready to take it."